SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Zedric Sadler and his Rider teammates are looking at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament as a brand-new season.

So far they’re 1-0.

The Broncs snapped out of their late-season funk for at least one night with a 71-60 victory over Monmouth in the opening round of the conference tournament here Thursday at the MassMutual Center.

“We’re not trying to go home,” Sadler said. “We’re going to come out and play everyday.”

Danny Stewart scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Anthony Myles finished with 13 and Jimmie Taylor added 12 for Rider (14-16), which had lost seven of its final eight regular-season games.

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“When the playoffs start, everything is 0-0,” said Stewart, who finished 6-for-9 from the floor and 12-for-14 from the line. “We have the mindset that we come in here and be 1-0 and move on to the next game.”

In what was a game of runs none was bigger than the 15-2 spurt the Broncs put together in the second half that turned an eight-point deficit into a seven-point lead.

Once Rider went up 55-48 after a pair of free throws by Shawn Valentine with 6:58 remaining, it led the rest of the way.

Head coach Kevin Baggett characterized that sequence, as making the winning plays his team hadn’t for the previous month.

“We got down a little bit and everybody stayed together,” Baggett said. “We were able to recover back from being down and getting the lead back. It was an entire team effort and I’m just really proud of our guys that they stuck together.”

“It’s just staying with it,” Sadler said. “Sticking with it.”

Rider effectively used its pressure, alternating between Valentine and Myles at the head of its trap. The Broncs forced the Hawks (11-21) into 21 turnovers that led to 30 points.

“We’re going to continue to press,” Baggett said. “That’s how we can keep the momentum and keep the aggressiveness.”

Valentine had another solid game off the bench, scoring all eight of his points in the second half, while also recording three steals.

Sadler, who said he’s only at 60 percent because of soreness in both knees, added seven in a lively 30-minute display.

Rider led 33-25 at halftime after finishing the opening 20 minutes on a 12-0 run, but Monmouth responded with more energy in the second.

Josh James threw down a vicious jam on Junior Fortunat as the Hawks went up 46-38 before the Broncs regained control.

Deon Jones led Monmouth with 18 points and James finished with 11.

This was Rider’s first MAAC tournament victory since a quarterfinal win over Canisius in 2011. The Broncs hadn’t been in the opening round since 2007.

Rider faces top-seeded Iona (20-9) Saturday at noon in the quarterfinals. The Gaels swept the season series with both meetings coming in the last two weeks.

“We’re ready,” Sadler said. “We don’t want to get beat three times straight by a team. We don’t plan on going home until Monday.”

NOTES: Iona gave head coach Tim Cluess a contract extension through the 2018-19 seasons. The Gaels finished the regular season 20-9 overall and 17-3 in the MAAC en route to the top seed in the conference tournament. Over four years at the New Rochelle, N.Y., school, Cluess is 90-43 and is trying to reach a third consecutive NCAA tournament.

About the Author

Kyle Franko covers college and high school sports at the Trentonian. He is a Rutgers grad, avid football -- the European variety -- fan and part-time pick-up basketball player. Reach the author at kfranko@trentonian.com
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